Within minutes of the opening scene of Lovecraft Country, it's clear that Misha Green is committed to telling a show (open in new tab) that crosses and blends genre boundaries This HBO series, which debuted in mid-August, is part horror, part science fiction, part At times it's a laugh-out-loud comedy, and at other times it's a gripping, thoughtful drama about black life. It deftly moves between fantasy, gross-out monster movies, and Indiana Jones-esque adventure stories. (Open in new tab)

But it's easy to hear Green's commitment to thinking outside the box. The showrunner, writer, and director set out to create a soundtrack for the show that would defy all expectations of "period drama." The show is set in the 1950s (just like Matt Ruff's book that inspired the series), but the music is both anachronistic and a tribute to the sounds of the time.

Green spoke with Marie Claire (open in new tab) about creating a soundtrack that blends spoken word, retro classics, and billboard toppers.

"I feel like people expect period music to be sacred," Green told MC in the Fall 2020 issue. 'It has to be music from that period. That's boring. How do we elevate it to another level? That's when I compared Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' and 'I Am Not Your Negro. Both used narration, which I thought was something that television shows had not yet done! I like to take big swings in all my projects, both audio-wise and visual-wise, in different categories. Will this work?

The creator of "Lovecraft Country" (open in new tab) credits her work on her earlier show "Underground" (in which John Legend was a musical collaborator) with sparking her interest in using music to "bring the past into the present whenever possible." She believes. It's a concept perfectly condensed into an upcoming episode where the scene is set for Cardi B's "Bodack Yellow."

"I was like, holy crap. She says bloody shoes in this song! It was made for this moment. Or maybe that's what happens when you've been listening to Cardi B's music all summer?

The soundtrack is one-of-a-kind, but it is anchored by a unique and often surreal score. Composers Raphael Saadiq and Laura Karpman, who worked on Green's Underground, were responsible for the show's orchestral works. Karpman explained to Variety (opens in new tab) that the pandemic blockade actually helped Lovecraft create the sound. Suddenly the bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet became beautiful doubles of the bass brass instruments, isolated so they could be as loud as they wanted." A unique sound began to develop," says Karpman." It was wildly appropriate."

A breakdown of the music for the first few episodes follows. This list will be updated as episodes air.